One of my major interests is the areas in which psychology and literature intersect, particularly what literature can teach us about human nature. This article was right up my alley. I consider myself a careful reader, but reading this article will make me even more careful in noticing how authors describe and exemplify fictional characters.

Do you believe in the afterlife? Reincarnation?

Yes, I do. I’ve had the experience of recognizing someone I was meeting for the first time. I like the idea that we belong to a primary cluster of souls that all tend to hang out together throughout time and space.

If you were or are a writer do you prefer writing short stories, poems or novels?

I am a writer, but not of these genres. I write strictly nonfiction, with special focus on book reviews of both novels and memoirs and on life story writing.

What inspired you this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

Our friends Dolores and Joe celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary yesterday. Isn’t that remarkable? My husband and I have been married only 46 years, so Dolores and Joe are our role models. Oh, and they’re both really good people, too.

I hope everyone will have a good week. Here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA we are waiting for the smoke from the wild fires in British Columbia, Canada, to clear and wishing the best for everyone living and working near the fires.

Like this:

If you had to have your vision corrected would you rather: glasses or contacts? Or what do you use if you need to have your vision corrected?

I had cataract surgery on both my eyes a couple of years ago. This surgery replaces the eye’s clouded lens with a new one that gives you 20/20 distance vision. I still need correction for reading and close work, but not as much of a correction as I needed before. Also, before the surgery my right and left eyes were quite different, so I had to have prescription glasses made. But now, because my eyes are the same, I can use much cheaper reading glasses from the drug store. Since my distance vision is now corrected, I don’t have to wear glasses to drive. I also find that I can function in the world very well without glasses as long as I carry a pair to put on when I need to read a menu in a restaurant or a label at the grocery store.

I’m very happy with my new eyes.

Are you more of a dog person or a cat person?

I’ve never had a dog. We always had cats when I was growing up, and we also had cats when our daughter was growing up. Part of the reason I always preferred cats over dogs was that cats are easier. You can leave a cat (or multiple cats) alone and go away for a weekend, something you can’t do with a dog.

Now that we’ve retired we are petless. We decided that we were going to travel in our early retirement, before we got too old to be able to get around pretty well. Since we now live in a retirement community, where we can just notify management, lock the door, and take off, we’re not eager to get any pets. That may change at some time, but for now I’m glad to not have to worry about caring for an animal.

If you were to buy a new house/apartment what is the top three items on your wish list?

Before we retired four years ago, we considered briefly buying a house in our new city rather than moving into a retirement community. But my husband nixed that idea: “I don’t want to have to mow the lawn and clean the gutters,” he said. So we moved into an independent-living unit and have never regretted it for one second. Every Tuesday I watch other people cut the grass. Four times a year I watch someone else clean the outside of my windows. If we have a problem with anything in the house, we just call maintenance and they come and fix it. The unit is all on one floor, so we don’t have to worry about being able to climb stairs later on.

The only drawback to our new home is that, in order to have a place to put up computers and bookshelves, we had to give up the dining room end of our large living/dining area. Since we haven’t hosted a dinner party in more than 40 years, it wasn’t much of a sacrifice.

What inspired you this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

I had a productive writing period this last week, and that has inspired me to keep working. I got six or seven weeks behind in the weekly writing challenge I’m participating in this year when we had a month-long vacation followed by a cross-country trip for a family wedding. At first I thought of just letting go of those weeks that I missed, but then I decided to write the posts I had missed. It’s taken me quite a while to catch up, but I finally have only one piece left to write this week. Of course, I also have to write this week’s post in order to avoid getting behind again, but it all seems manageable now.

I’ve been trying to slow down and appreciate the everyday events of my life more lately, so this would be it.

What are a couple of things could people do for you on a really bad day that would really help you?

I like hugs a lot. I also like cups of good coffee and tea.

Fortunately, I’m married to a really good guy who indulges my needs to sit and write or to sit and read.

Irregardless of your physical fitness, coordination or agility: If you could be an athlete what would do do? Remember this is SYW, dreaming is always allowed.

As a kid, I used to play baseball with the boys. There was no such thing as softball. If I could indulge my inner athlete now, as an adult, I’d probably like to be a good softball player, preferably in the outfield, and a fearsome hitter.

As a kid, I was always the fastest runner over short distances among both boys and girls. So I’d probably be a sprinter, which would also make me a better softball player by allowing me to cover the outfield quickly and to beat reach base safely after getting a hit.

I’m right-handed. In fact, about the only thing my left hand does unassisted is type.

I used to have a friend who was ambidextrous. When we took tennis lessons, she didn’t mess around with forehand and backhand strokes. She just changed hands as necessary.

Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?

I much prefer exercising my mind, which I often do by reading and writing.

And thanks for reminding me (the universe is conspiring to remind me frequently) that I should also exercise my body. Really, there’s no excuse, especially since I can listen to an audiobook while walking if I want to.

I’ll start walking tomorrow…

Complete this sentence: Hot days are …

A thing of the past for me. We lived in St. Louis for 40+ years, and, let me tell you, summers there are hot and humid (which makes them feel even hotter). Since we’ve retired to the Pacific Northwest, most summer days register in the very pleasant mid–70s F. with low humidity.

And this is yet another reason why I really should get outside and exercise my body more often.

You are trapped in an elevator, who would you want to be trapped with?

I’d hope to be trapped with a good storyteller. I’m just slightly claustrophobic. Normally this condition doesn’t cause me any problems, but I imagine that if we were in that stuck elevator for an extended period of time, I’d begin to feel cramped. I’d like a good storyteller to keep telling me stories so compelling that I wouldn’t even think about the situation.

Like this:

For your main meal do you prefer sweet and sour, hot and spicy, spicy and sweet, bitter, salty, bland or other?

I’ve always liked lots of salt, although that’s it for me in terms of spice. I don’t even use table pepper except for a very light sprinkle over fresh tomato slices. There are certain foods I never order in restaurants because I know they’ll be too spicy for me, particularly chili and just about anything Mexican.

I just don’t have people come over. That way I don’t have to worry about finding quick hiding places for all my (beloved) stuff.

What daily habit would you like to introduce to your life?

I’d like a lot more time for serious book reading. It seems I spend so much time reading news, etc., on the computer that the day is just about over before I get to sit down with a good book.

If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do?

I’d like to be the announcer, if I could broadcast from a booth high above the action (like a baseball sportscaster) so that no one could see me—for the same reason why I like to be the one taking the photograph instead of having to be IN the photo.

What goal are you working on now? Your goal can be something fun or extremely serious. Have fun with this question.

At the end of 2016 I decided that 2017 would be the year I focus on my writing. I therefore signed up for the 52-Week Writing Challenge on Medium. But during our vacation I got behind by six articles. Catching up with those six pieces of writing is my goal right now.

What is one thing you’re glad you tried but would never do again?

Funny you should ask. This topic recently came up on my Facebook feed:

My entry in this category: ordered a kit and made a down jacket for [my daughter] when she was about 9. Guess how many sewing machine needles I broke.

Did you choose your profession or did it choose you?

It finally, though late, chose me. I should have majored in English right from the beginning.

Have you ever gotten lost?

Probably not, because that’s something I would remember, and I don’t have any memories of getting lost. But then, as I’ve said many times about many different aspects of life, I’m a Virgo. As such, I’m always prepared. So any time I go anywhere I have in hand a map or list of directions for arriving at my intended destination.

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that the hot weather here only lasted a couple of days and that we are now back to normal temps (mid–70s F.) for the season. And this week I’m looking forward to having absolutely NOTHING on my calendar so that I can catch up on my writing (see first question above).

What is something that people are obsessed with but you just don’t get the point of?

The Kardashians, and other such celebrities. Really, I don’t get the fascination with other peoples’ lives. I’d rather spend my time and effort living my own life.

What quirky things do people do where you are from?

Now that we have moved from Missouri to Washington State, I have gotten used to adding “State” to declarations of where I’m from—either “State” or “the other Washington.” I also still find it a bit quirky that people here actually go outdoors to enjoy the summer sun. St. Louis is so hot and humid that I almost never went outside, unless absolutely necessary, all summer.

What are some things you wish you could unlearn?

A little over a year ago I was on a jury for a murder trial. I learned way more about guns than I ever wanted to know. I wish I could unlearn all that, especially the fact that someone could place a gun muzzle next to another human being’s head and pull the trigger.

Who is someone that you miss having in your life?

My father, who died two months before I turned 12. I have very few memories of him and feel that I didn’t know him at all.

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that the rainy season seems to have ended and that summer has arrived. I’m also glad that the Seattle Mariners have started winning games more often. The opening month to six weeks of the season was pretty discouraging.

Like this:

We’ve been traveling a lot recently, and as a result I’ve been away for about two months. But I’m glad to be back participating in Share Your World again. Answering Cee’s questions always gets me thinking about myself and my life.

What do you do when you’re not working? If you are retired, what do you that is not part of your regular daytime routine?

We are retired, but this is a hard question to answer. For the most part I like the routine of my life. But, of course, it’s refreshing to change things up once in a while.

My favorite way to do that is to travel. We didn’t do much traveling before retirement and are now trying to make up for lost time. We took a one-month ocean cruise that took us from Barcelona to Stockholm and stopped in the following countries:

(Click on image to see a larger version.)

After returning from that trip, we traveled from the west coast to the east coast of the USA for a family wedding. We were happy to see some relatives we hadn’t seen in quite a long time.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would not have been able to attend college without a generous financial aid package. If I won the lottery, I’d establish a scholarship fund. Part, though not all, of the fund would be designated for women preparing to re-enter the employment world after taking some years off to raise children.

What makes you laugh the most?

You know those videos of laughing babies that pop up frequently on Facebook? Those babies crack me up every time.

What is your biggest pet peeve with modern technology?

Actually, I’m a big fan of modern technology because it allows us to reconnect and keep in touch with people who have relocated all over the world. The only thing about technology that bugs me is the way just about everything grinds to a halt when the computers go down.

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that I now have many opportunities to travel. And I’m also grateful to get back home. I look forward to settling back into my standard routine in the upcoming week, at least until it’s time for the next travel adventure.